Why Punjab minister's taunt about 'poor English' of babus has bureaucrats fuming
Speaking at the World Punjabi Conference in Chandigarh, Punjab’s finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal, who is widely known and even admired for his speeches laced with Urdu couplets, provoked quite a storm when he questioned the English language proficiency of the state’s civil bureaucracy.
Assuring delegates at the conference that all official work in the state government was being conducted in Punjabi, Badal, however, lamented the fact that barring a few, most civil servants can’t even draft a letter in English properly.
“Ashamed” is what the minister says he feels when drafts of important memoranda that had to be sent to the central government are put before him for perusal. He wondered (aloud) how any of the officers had managed to clear the civil services examination.
The finance minister’s words predictably touched some very raw nerves within Punjab’s IAS fraternity. And although none of the serving civil servants have spoken publicly, there’s reportedly been a furious exchange of WhatsApp messages criticising Badal for his uncharacteristic "lack of decorum".
Several posts, in turn, accused the minister of employing impossible-to-understand Urdu verse, often, even for official work. “We cannot understand what he (Manpreet Badal) is saying, most of the time,” was one such peeved remark on WhatsApp.
Karan Bir Singh Sidhu, president of the Punjab IAS Officers’ Association, refused to offer a comment pointing out that “everyone in the country has the right to free speech (even the finance minister),” Another functionary of the association, who requested anonymity, disclosed that the IAS fraternity viewed Badal’s remarks as “insulting,” and was pressing for an official response.
While the "still in service" (read that as vulnerable) babus either maintained silence or employed the relative anonymity of social networks, retired senior bureaucrats, unfettered by the restrictions of office, have sprung to the rescue of their younger ex-colleagues.
Rajan Kashyap, a former chief secretary and one of the few bureaucrats with a master’s degree in English literature, says he disagrees with Badal, insisting, "officers in Punjab are well-versed in both English and Punjabi".
Subodh Agarwal, also a former chief secretary, who is not particularly known to confront political bosses, said, “English isn’t the only thing.” He pointed out that unlike in the past when most coming into the IAS were from humanities or literature background, the present crop includes engineers and doctors who bring a whole host of other skills to the service.
But while former civil servants were measured in their response and criticism, Opposition politicians weren’t as forgiving.
The leader of the Opposition and Aam Admi Party spokesperson Sukhpal Singh Khaira, while describing the state of affairs narrated by the minister as “unfortunate,” dared the incumbent government to initiate action against officers for poor English skills.
The finance minister’s cousin and former deputy chief minister Sukhbir Badal pointed to Manpreet Badal’s enduring fondness for Urdu to suggest that perhaps it was his cousin who lacks proficiency and couldn’t make sense of the officialese.
An alumnus of St Stephen’s College, and a law graduate from the University of London, finance minister Manpreet Badal, however, hasn’t opted to engage any further.
(Courtesy of Mail Today)